Ex-Governor Baldacci's Plan

“Maine has been tremendous to us. Frankly, we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for your governor. His commitment, all along the way and especially when he put together the Wind Task Force, reinforced our commitment.”
                                                                     — Paul Gaynor, CEO of First Wind

“By Executive Order 31 FY 06/07, dated May 8, 2007, Ex-Governor Baldacci established the Governor's Task Force on Wind Power Development whose core duties include examination of the regulatory processes, review criteria and financing options currently applicable to wind power projects proposed in Maine; identification of potential barriers to their development; and recommendation of changes to state policies, regulatory requirements and financial incentives deemed necessary to facilitate siting wind power projects in Maine...” source: www.maine.gov/doc/mfs/windpower.htm.

He wanted the Task Force's final report no later than February 2008.

By this Executive Order, the Governor assembled a carefully hand-picked Task Force and charged them with the following three primary objectives:

1) To make Maine a leader in wind power development;

2) To protect Maine’s quality of place and natural resources;

3) To maximize the tangible benefits Maine people receive from wind power development.

The Task Force, after 12 meetings, produced an 80 page report entitled REPORT OF THE GOVERNOR’S TASK FORCE ON WIND POWER DEVELOPMENT. Click here to download the PDF version of this report.

The Task Force approved the report unanimously, stating that “Consistent with 'Mutual Understandings' among Task Force members agreed to early in the project, I concur with the content of the Report of Governor’s Task Force on Wind Power Development” (page 2). Remarkably, the capitalization of and the quotation marks around 'Mutual Understandings' is how it appears in the final report. Apparently the Task Force gave these words great significance and was less than comfortable with them. Is it any wonder that they concluded that “each of the goals established by Governor Baldacci can be achieved” (page 5)?

It's important to recognize that the Task Force's job was not to evaluate the appropriateness of developing wind energy facilities in Maine. It was not asked to determine whether the wind projects would be economically viable or would forever rely on taxpayer handouts and guarantees to operate. Apparently the Governor was comfortable ignoring the science and economics when he told the Task Force that their primary objective must be "to make Maine a leader in wind power development".

The Task Force decided that the Governor's stated goal of hosting at least 2,000 megawatts (MW) of installed wind power capacity by 2015, 3,000 MW by 2020, and 5,000 MW by 2030 was a reasonable one.

Let's look at what that goal will entail if all that capacity were built on land. By averaging the reported figures for Mars Hill, Stetson and Kibby Mtn projects, we find that each wind turbine, on average requires 3.5 acres of land to be cleared and 15,000 cubic yards of rock to be blasted/excavated. If we assume the Windustry continues to install 1.5MW turbines, we come up with the following:

The distance between Kittery and Fort Kent is 306 miles. This means that Governor Baldacci's goal for 2015 is the equivalent of one long line turbines stretching from Kittery to Fort Kent and 90% of the way back!  The 2020 goal would stretch from Kittery to Fort Kent 2.85 times. The 2030 goal, 4.75 times. The following graphic may help you envision how many mountaintops and ridgelines will be sacrificed to achieve Gov. Baldacci's objectives:

The Task Force also determined that "in order for Maine to become a leader in wind power development, changes must be made in the regulatory process for wind power projects, and a planned approach must be established to help guide wind power projects to appropriate sites" (page 5).

In effect, the Task Force said that since Maine’s regulatory framework for large development projects such as wind power was created 40 years ago, it would require a number of specific changes to streamline the process for wind power permitting.

They created what is now called the "Expedited Windpower Permitting Area". Click here for a PDF file showing the map of the expedited area. It is interesting to note that the Task Force outlined a process by which LURC could, upon request by wind developers, extend the area designated for expedited permitting but specifically disallows the removal of any area from the expedited permitting area. In other words, the expedited permitting area can expand, but will never contract.

Within this area, the following very significant changes were made:

1) Consideration of a wind power project’s effect on scenic character is limited only to public resources of statewide or national significance.

2) LURC's rezoning process will not apply to wind energy projects. That is, wind projects will automatically be deemed "an allowed use" throughout the expedited zone.

3) In order to expedite the permitting process, outside expertise may need to be hired. It will be acceptable for LURC and DEP to accept money from the wind developers to pay such expenses.

4) The Board of Environmental Protection will hear appeals. Legal appeals will go directly to Law Court, bypassing Superior Court to save time.

In short, the Task Force recommendations fast-track industrial wind development in an area covering two thirds of the state. The bill was passed by the legislature in just fifteen days with little to no public involvement or debate. The fact is that the Expedited Wind Law was to a large extent written by the wind developers themselves, whose primary interest is green money, not green energy. The law gives the go ahead for potentially 360 miles of industrial wind turbines on Maine's mountaintops. This will result in the building of thousands of miles of additional power lines and roads and will require the clearcutting of over 50,000 acres of carbon-sequestering forest lands.

And so the gold rush began. Mainers like former Governor Angus King became wind developers. Wind developers from out of state came to Maine to lease mountaintops in hopes of cashing in. With wind power generation on the decline in Europe, the U.S. offered a new, untapped market for foreign developers. Of all the United States, Maine is among the most attractive, not because of the wind, but because permits are all but automatic, because government handouts are readily available, we have the country's highest RPS, and we have a lame duck Governor who's announced that when he leaves office he'd like to work in the Windustry. Maine is a great place to do business... if you're a wind developer!